Inside Politics: ‘When, not if’

No 10 forced into U-turn on plan to delay vote on Partygate probe as senior Tory tells PM ‘the gig’s up’, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Another day of dizzying twists and turns in Westminster ended with a government U-turn. No 10 dropped its move to delay a vote on whether Boris Johnson should be investigated over claims that he misled parliament over Partygate, meaning that probe will now go ahead. The PM remains in India where he will discuss security matters with his opposite number, Narendra Modi.

Inside the bubble

Parliament is not sitting.

Coming up:

– Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns on ITV GMB at 8.30am

– Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle on Times Radio Breakfast 8.35am

Daily Briefing

• U-TURN: No 10 yesterday scrapped its move to delay a vote on whether the PM should be investigated over claims that he misled parliament on the Partygate scandal. Downing Street’s official line is that Johnson wanted the probe to go ahead because he has “nothing to hide”. But in reality, Tory whips could not find enough MPs who were willing to back Johnson on what Labour had framed as an Owen Paterson-esque “cover up”. It is understood that the number of Tory MPs considering abstaining from the vote was so high that Downing Street was actually at risk of losing if it went ahead. What now? Labour’s motion passed in the Commons without a vote, meaning the PM will be referred to the privileges committee, which will investigate whether he lied to parliament when he told MPs no laws were broken in Downing Street during lockdown.

• ‘GIG IS UP’: Yesterday’s events shone a light on the deep unease and division there is among Tory backbenchers over the Partygate scandal. The Conservatives now appear to be in a state of paralysis about what to do with their leader: large numbers of MPs are not willing to publicly support the PM but at this point are not prepared to move against him, although that could change following the local elections in May. In an ominous warning for Johnson’s future, senior Tory Steve Baker, regarded as an extremely effective political operator and organiser, told the PM “the gig is up” as he withdrew his support for the PM – just two days after backing him. Baker joins Mark Harper, the former chief whip, in calling for Johnson to resign. Harper The Telegraph last night that the PM could face a no-confidence vote from his own MPs by July. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today earlier, Tobias Ellwood, another senior Tory, said such a vote was a matter of “when, not if.” We’ll have all today’s politics action on our liveblog.

• INIDA TRIP LATEST: Some 4,000 miles was not enough distance for the PM to avoid his domestic troubles, as he was repeatedly questioned about Partygate in India. The PM thanked Narendra Modi, the country’s PM, for a “fantastic welcome” as the pair met in Delhi earlier, saying he “[doesn’t] think things have ever been as good between us.” Johnson has committed to supporting India to build fighter jets in a bid to reduce the number of arms the nation buys from Russia. He and Modi were due to discuss defence and security collaboration across land, sea air, space and cyber.

• UKRAINE LATEST: Russia’s troops have dug more than 200 mass graves near Mariupol in southern Ukraine, satellite imagery allegedly shows, as Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for the besieged city. The site of the mass graves – which Ukrainian authorities believe could contain the bodies of up to 9,000 people – lies adjacent to an existing cemetery in the village of Manhush, 12 miles west of the port city on the coast of the Black Sea. Moscow has not yet responded to the reports. Russian forces took 40 villages in east Ukraine on Thursday, but president Volodymyr Zelensky says these and other gains are only temporary. “They can only delay the inevitable, the time when the invaders will have to leave our territory,” Zelensky said. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

• GREEN FIGHT: The PM has signalled he is ready to fight to defend green levies on energy bills, amid growing pressure for them to be scrapped. The prime minister lashed out at “prejudice” against the levies, which fund renewable energy schemes at an average cost of £153 a year to households. Backbench Tories are pushing for them to be stripped out of domestic gas and electricity bills to help consumers facing soaring costs.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

On the record

“My constituents feel badly let down; I feel personally badly let down by what happened, and there must be consequences that follow from that.”

Tory MP and justice committee chair Sir Robert Neill.

From the Twitterati

“On Partygate, it really IS the crimes, not the cover-up, that matter most to voters.”

i chief politics commentator Paul Waugh

Essential reading

• Tom Peck, The Independent: If only Tory MPs would tell us how they really feel
• James Forsyth, The Times: Tories fear their One Nation dream is dying
• Simon Jenkins, The Guardian: Boris Johnson’s guilt is beyond doubt. There is no way back from this
• Ivo Daalder, The Atlantic: Let Ukraine in

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